Railway-tie plate.



J. M. CONWAY.

RAILWAY TIE PLATE.

MPLIGATION FILED 5mm, 1912.

Patented Apr. 16, 1912.

pc FIG. 2

FIG. 5

ffomey To all whom #may concem:

UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

Jamas n. CONWAY, or

Bessemer., y Amma.

@Amway-TIE PLATn Specicstion of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 16, 1912.

Application mea January 2,1912. serial No. sesam.

son-and State of 'Alabamahave invented certain new and useful/Improvements in' Railway-Tie Plates, of which 4the following is a speeitication.

My invention relates to an improved rail-v way trackplate designed to provide a more" perfect means to fasten'the rails to theol-oss ties than' the spikes which V'arefn'ow solcly relied upon. My deviceraflso serves to maintain the track/alinement and aords protection against the rails's'preading oi-being turned over bythe force of lateral strains rfrom the trains.

My invention in its prefer-red embodiment comprises the details of constructionl ,and arrangement (if-parts hereinafter more'particularly described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,'in whichzy l Figure 1 is a detail perspective view of my improved platej Fig. 2 isi-a` plan View showing the plate in full lines operatively connected to a rail, and showing the plate in dotted lines in position in'which it is ti rst applied to the-rail.A Fig. 3,is a vertical cross-sectional view along the line m-.m of Fig. Q.

Similar reference numerals refer toysim4 lar parts'throughoutthe drawings.

My invention` as'illustrated, comprises a base plate 1 formed of any suitable metal and in any practicable Way, which plate carries at diagonally opposite corners hook members V2 and 3,. which overhang toward the center ofthe plate `and are vspaced so as to receivbetween them .the base flanges of a track rail 4 when laidialong the longitudinal center` line of the plate. The plate also has a shoulder 5 at'one of, its corners that is unoccupied by a Ahook 2. or 3, which' shoulder is spaced from the `shank of hdok 2 the width of the-rail base. The plate carries spike holes L6 on each 'side vand has,v6 four depending sharpened points 7 which project from the bottom of the plate and are preferably disposedwith their greatest width transverse to the length ofthe cross tie 8. The plate' mayl have more or less 4of the points 7 or the latter may-be dispensed with and the spikes 9 relied up0n. sol ely to hold the plate to the tie. Also lt 1S not Y necessary to have holes 6 Vfor the spikes, but

I prefer same.

y In practice, the plate is applied to the base flange of the rail by turning the plate at an Y i angle to the rail with' the shoulder 5 under the raltand the'hooks 2 and 3 straddling the base. The plate is then turned until the shouldcc clears the which is then en- 4.gagaed by 'hooks-2,`3and shoulder 5, where- ',upon therail andy plate are lowered upon fthe cross tie.V Since the hooks 2 and 3 overhang and grip the rail base, it follows that Auntil therail is lifted so that the plate 1 can' begturned ldown and twisted to cause shoulder 5 to clear the rail base, is not possible to disengage the rail from-the plate 1. To prevent such disengagement the plate is securelyfastened to the cross tie by any `suitable means, such as the spikes shown or the points 7. When the latter two means are used, the points will become embedded in the tieand will' present so large an engagemet' therewith that the spreading of the rails is effectively Yprevented. Naturally, the spikes will coperate to that end to the Iasame extent that they now do as they directly engage the rail lflanges. Further, it "will be noted from the manner in which the hooks 2 and 3 positively lock with the rail base, the rail cannot turn over without carrying with it` the plate with its wider base, and to do that'requires the up-rooting of all 'the spikes and points 7, thus making it highly improbable that a rail will be spread or turned over so long as there remains any stability to the supporting cross ties. l

My plate can be cheaply manufactured and by giving the rals a wider bearing on the ties, the latter will withstand better the tendency of therail bases to cut into the ties until they Vstand at an angle tilting toward the track centers, which tendency is particularly pronounced on curves and is to -blame for many accidents caused by the 'condition of thetracks. V

Haring thus described' my invention, 4what I desire to secure by Letters Patent,

l. A railway track device comprising a plate having projections adapted to'engage the base of a rail, which projections are disposed in a line oblique to a longitudinal plane through the plate and spaced equidistantlyfrom said plane, and a shoulder opposite one of said projections and spaced on the plate and hold the latter in inter therefrom sutiiciently to receive the rail base between it. and the opposite projection and while in engagement with the edge of the base to hold the plate and rail interlocked by means of said projections, substantially as described.

2. A plate upon which a railway trackl rail is adapted to rest, projections disposed in staggered relation on said late and adapted each to overhang the rail base when the latter is in position on the plate, and a shoulder opposite one of said projections. which is adapted to en age the rail base when seated on the plate etween said shoulder and its opposite projection and hold the rail in interlocked engagement with said plate, substantially as described. i

3. A plate upon whicha railway track rail is adapted to rest, projections disposed in staggered relation to said plate and adapted each to overhang the rail base'when the latter is in position thereon, a shoulder opposite one of .said projections which is adapted to engage the rail base when seated locked engagement therewith, and means to attach said plate to a cross tie which engage the rail base and pass down through the plate.

4. A railway track plate comprising ai base plate having a number of depending pointed projections adapted to engage in a i tie, top hook members disposed at diagonally opposite portions of the plate and spaced to receive between them and to overhang the base of a rail, and a shoulder adapted to engage the edge of the rail base when the latter has been interposed between the hook members and the late moved until the Shanks of said hool members engage the rail base,said shoulder holding the plate and rail interlocked, as and poses described.

5. A railway track plate comprising a metal base adapted `to receive and support a track rail, said base having inturned hook members so spaced that in one position of the plate the overhanging tops of the members will receive between them the rail base and in :1 second 'position said tops will both overhang the rail base with their Shanks abutting against the side edges of the base, a shoulder on said plate adapted to engage a side odge of the .base substantially opposite one ot' said shrinks, and means to attach the rail and plate in assembled position to the track supports.

In testimony whereof: l affix my ture in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES ai. CONVAY.

signa- VVitnesses NoMIn VVELsn, R. ll JOHNSTONA for the pur-V 

